Here’s a New York Times story about the actions of a brave District Education Officer, In Uttar Pradesh, India – who now has to carry a gun to protect himself for daring to take on the issue of teacher truancy:

sadly, even he admits that the teachers may now be attending school, but he has little way of knowing whether or not they’re teaching. When we think about the Right to Education Act, we realise, in so many ways there’s still a very long way to go.

Still, he’s doing far better than a certain DEO I knew, but won’t name, who only ever spoke to me when a) they wanted an admission, or b) they wanted to tell me what others had given as gifts (and to ask why my gifts weren’t forthcoming!!)